2006 Honda Ridgeline RTL

Honda Ridgeline RTL

Cosmetics aside, it's always easy to develop warm feelings about a vehicle that refrains from calling in sick, and in this sense, the Ridgeline, like other Hondas we've encountered over the years, had an attendance record that was all but perfect.

The only unscheduled dealer visit occurred at 2586 miles when a staffer managed to break the hood-release handle on a cold February morning. He was trying to thaw the Ridgeline's frozen windshield washer nozzles and first attempted to get the washers to function by dousing them with hot coffee. Frustrated when this zany cure failed to produce the desired result, he decided to take a look at the washer-fluid reservoir and snatched the hood release handle with an excess of irritation-enhanced force. Whereupon it detached from the cable, provoking colorful language from our colleague.

The hood-release mechanism was restored under warranty at no cost. Beyond that, all service visits were for scheduled maintenance. There were five, plus another for installation of some Honda accessories [see Baubles and Bolt-Ons]. The total for the five routine service visits over the course of the test was $387.

Talk back in the forums:Is this Honda a good compromise or just a 'wanna-be' truck?